This episode is a story which gets to the heart of the challenges facing digital agencies, from remote working to incubating in-house ventures, as Craig Bryant talks to Marek Pawlowski about his journey co-founding We Are Mammoth. Craig shares his thoughts on becoming a ‘remote first’ company, creating and scaling two successful software businesses and what it takes to keep delivering for clients. We also hear about his own path, from musician to Flash developer and on to becoming an agency owner. Get in touch with feedback and questions @mexfeed on Twitter or email designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com.

Before I became a fan, I’ve been friends with Craig since his time in Frankfurt. When he had to chase the love of his life Heike over there from when they met in Boston. I remember him being the fastest coder, the fastest keyboard slammer I’ve ever come across. Craig is a modest man with a most wonderful personality. Listen to his voice and see if you can tell.

Paying attention to their site stages, the initial site made me fall of the kitchen stool. I simply had no idea what this guy was capable of and up to. I didn’t know that you can grow mammoth tusks. I’ve never experienced a site with parallax scrolling. I thought these guys are better copywriters than those you meet at ad agencies. with every visit the site became more elegant without losing its clean appearance. I am missing some of those cues with the current much simplified site.

Each upgrade of We Are Mammoth came as a surprise. Which is good according to Matt MacDonald, Executive Creative Director, BBDO New York.

Being surprising is the one gift you can give people, as a writer, as a creative,” he says. “As people who are creating advertising, we sort of owe it to our audience to reward them, to surprise them by making them laugh or making them think. … It forced me to constantly look at stuff and go, ‘Is this truly surprising? Is it really rewarding? Or is it just something that will go out there and be wallpaper?’